Untitled
by vertjeans
Summary: Mercedes moves to Ohio and meets Sam and his friends,who aren't exactly admired by their fellow students. I can't write summaries.
1. Chapter 1

Sam was tired and out of breath while sweat poured down his face. He figured adding a few more morning runs to his workouts would help him in the pool when school started. Most people at school didn't think very highly of the swim team, but he didn't care for their opinions anymore, that was a different lifetime.

He ran for about another hour before he decided to head back home, returning by a slow jog. It was early morning on a Tuesday, it annoyed him a little that school was starting in the middle of the week but Mike had pointed out that it just meant that it would be a shorter school week which he was totally all for.

While he contemplated how he would spend his early escape to the weekend he suddenly became acquainted with the sidewalk his feet were just pounding. Now flat on his face he was trying to orientate himself into the upright position and find out how he ended up like this.

"What the-"

"Oh my gosh" a voice called "Are you OK?"

Sam sat up still on the ground but he was now staring at the face of his attacker and he assumed the attackers owner. He was looking up at a girl. A beautiful girl. She was standing over him with a concerned expression on her face but the corners of her mouth were threatening to pull into a smirk. He followed her gaze and now knew why she was smiling. A furry creature contained in a small plastic bowl lay on his chest.

"So you caused all this, huh?" Sam asked the small creature

The creature only twitched its nose in response.

"Sorry about that" the girl spoke again and grabbed the culprit off his chest and tucked him under her arm while offering out a hand to him, which he quickly accepted to align himself. He noticed how short this girl was, he almost towered over her much smaller frame.

"He does this all the time" she began again "Always running around, but I guess he's now taken up assault too" she explained laughing to herself and he smiled back.

"I just can't believe I was tackled by a guinea pig" Sam replied scratching the back of his neck.

"Oh no, Reggie's a hamster, much more vicious and agile, if that makes you feel better" She asked tilting her head slightly.

"Oddly enough it doesn't" Sam said feeling his smile growing and was starting to feel light-headed and a bit woozy, maybe it was because she was smiling back. Or maybe it was because there was a small cut above his eyebrow that started to release blood. He tried to get a feel for himself, but it was a bit hard as he couldn't see it.

"You're bleeding" she said "Let me clean it up for you it's the least I could do"

So now he was walking through the threshold the mystery girl's house which was a bit hectic at the moment. Her house was on the larger side but very welcoming at least that's what the foyer made him feel like.

"We just moved her two days ago and well we're all over the place at the moment" she told him gesturing to the boxes strewn about.

"I was wondering why I've never seen you around here" he followed her to where he assumed was the kitchen and she motioned for him to take a seat at the breakfast bar. She disappeared for a moment and returned with a small case. Then she stood opposite him at the counter and started to clean him up.

"So what brings you to Lima, Ohio?" he asked

"My dad" she answered "He got the chance to open his own practice here and figured it was now or never" she dabbed the cut as gently as she could "Plus my mom always hated the city and she can do her job wherever"

"What does she do?" Sam asked

"Lawyer, pharmaceuticals – big money" she said not sounding as enthused as she could have.

He found himself getting lost in her eyes while spoke, they were a deep brown and very wide and expressive. His gaze travelled down and he was focused on her full lips and he bit his own. He knew she was talking because he was staring at her mouth but he didn't know what she was saying. He was about to ask her to repeat herself when he felt a sharp pain.

"Sorry!" she exclaimed while he hissed "I warned you about the alcohol before I touched you"

"Mercedes? Is that you?" A women's voice asked

"Yes, Mom!" she replied, there were some footsteps and an older women entered the kitchen.

"Oh, hello"

"Um hi, I'm Sam" he said

"Oh I was meaning to ask your name, but I never got the chance" the girl replied

"Mercedes" her mother said "You didn't ask him his name? Are you now just dragging in people from the street?" she continued on a chuckle "I know you said you wanted make friends but this is not the way to go about it"

"Mom, I didn't drag him here he got hurt because of Reggie" Mercedes, he now knew her to be, explained "Well, I did drag him here but it was to fix him up" she finished and firmly placed a band aid above his eye.

"Wait a minute…Reggie hurt him"

"More like ambushed" Sam had to defend himself "I tripped over that ball of death"

Mercedes let out a small laugh that made him smile up at her and then he realised he was staring again.

"I gotta go" he told them standing "My Dad is expecting me back soon, thanks for patching me up"

"No problem" she said "I'll see tomorrow" he made a confused face "You go to McKinley right?" she motioned to the sweatshirt which had the school logo etched upon it. He realised that it was now starting to stick to him.

"Yeah"

"I'll see you tomorrow, Sam"


	2. Chapter 2

"Sam, this is the last time I ride with you" Santana said as she swung the door open to get out.

"What was it this time?" he asked, hopping out as well and adjusting his glasses, he was really glad that he wasn't wearing them yesterday or else he'd have to spring for a new pair.

"Maybe the fact that there are currently animal cracker crumbs settling in my cleavage" she answered back "Seriously, those kids are about to get it"

"Well to bad for you, Miss Lopez" Sam said putting his arm around Santana, holding her to his side "Stacy and Stevie don't find you scary anymore, shocking right?" He laughed.

"Whatever," she argued pushing him away, both of them entering the school side by side "Or maybe you suffered a head injury and didn't think to tell me" she pointed at his forehead which held a Band-Aid still.

Sam touched the bandage "I'm lucky to be alive I hope you know" he mumbled to himself, thinking about that hamster.

William McKinley High School wasn't very special or outstanding in any kind of way. They had good sports facilities and the cafeteria food wasn't always awful. Sam thought that it could have been better but he had his friends and his team. He thought that many of the students were blinded by their incessant need to be accepted by the elite and the popular. He would almost recoil at the fact that last year that he was one of those people, but life had a funny way of putting things into perspective.

"So what are you most excited about this year?"

"Um" Santana thought carefully "Surviving Fabray's b#tch mob"

"Oh come on" he spoke up as they walked to their lockers "Just ignore the Brotherhood and you'll be fine"

Santana made a confused face at the comparison that Sam made, it was probably some reference to something she'd have to Google search later but for now she let Sam humour her.

"You've got me, Artie…" he trailed off at the sight in front of him and the Latina had to follow his line of vision and was equally appalled. Their other friends Mike and Tina were currently pressed very tightly against one another exploring each other's mouths.

"Hey, Mike we like your girlfriend and would really appreciate it if you didn't swallow her whole before first period" the couple quickly separated exuding slight embarrassment.

"Hi guys" Tina greeted and hastily ran up to hug Santana and then Sam "How was your break?" she asked tucking her hair behind her ears, the blue streaks flying wildly.

"It wasn't as action packed as yours, I'm guessing?" Santana inquired raising her perfectly plucked eyebrow.

Mike sidled up to Tina putting his arm around her abandoning his last spot leaning against the metal lockers "I assure you it was very eventful - I mean uneventful" he was elbowed by Tina cutting off what would have been, according to Santana very 'wanky' information.

"Saved by the bell, Mikey" Sam said as they all separated for their morning classes. Despite his more optimistic outlook on the school year something was bothering him. When was he going to see Mercedes, he knew she was enrolled at McKinley, she told him herself. However, for now he'd focus on his classes which he was looking forward to.

After his first class was finished he headed to his homeroom to be registered. Sam really hoped that his homeroom teacher would be one of the saner faculty members of the McKinley High. It's not that they were bad at their jobs per se, it was just on some occasions they liked to take risks with their teaching methods.

He arrived at the room a little early. He figured because the teacher wasn't present and sat near the back, that way people wouldn't be able to throw projectiles at his head. Sam busied himself with his sketchbook while other students began to enter the room and finally the teacher. Coach Beiste was probably one of the better members of staff at the school, Sam thought she was a great and he really liked her when he was on the football team.

"Alright, get your butts in those seats!" She shouted

He retired from his drawings for the moment as the Coach began to address everyone about what would be happening during the first semester back at school. With all the events they had planned Sam thought that the teachers were more concerned with their social lives than their education.

"Sorry I'm late" a blur of a person announced "this school is so big"

"Just take a seat in the back and listen" the Coach told the girl who looked a lot like his paramedic from yesterday. Beiste looked like she was familiarised himself with some files and then spoke up again.

"Everybody we have a new student with us this year," she said as Mercedes took one of the empty seats near the front of the class room "Why don't you stand up and tell us about yourself?"

"Um OK" she replied "My name is Mercedes Jones. I recently moved her from New York City and I was" she raised her right arm to look at her wrist "7 minutes late for homeroom"some people laughed as she smilied, _a beautiful smile_ Sam thought before shaking his head and trying to focus on the rest of the notices that Beiste gave after Mercedes sat down.

By the time second period was over Sam was slightly drowsy he didn't hate school but having to sit through a small lecture made him miss the summer.

"Hey, sleepy-head" Sam looked up and was greeted by the sight of Mercedes again.

"Hi" he said getting up "I didn't take you as someone to skip class"

"Ugh, please don't remind me about that" she said throwing her head back "I hate being late, especially for things, it makes the worst first impression"

"Don't worry about it" he said walking to what he assumed to be her locker where she retrieved a notebook "A friend of mine missed half the day once, but he got locked in a Porta Potti"

"What…that sounds awful, think of the smell"

"He came out alright, Mike got him out" Mercedes made a confused face so Sam had to explain who his friends were. "He's wiley" he said very seriously nodding with a glint his eye. Mercedes just laughed.

"They sound so cool" she told him.

"I'll introduce you some-" Sam began before being cut off by a girl's voice calling Mercedes.

"Quinn! Hi" Mercedes said accepting the hug Quinn gave.


	3. Chapter 3

"Why didn't we go off campus again?" Artie asked

"Because, Artie" Tina began "It's important to start off each school year with a clear vision in mind"

"What's that?" Mike asked "The only vision I can think of right now, is the vomit that'll be coming out of your mouth if you it that casserole" he was poking it with his fork. Tina pushed her boyfriend's hand away from her tray and addressed Artie again.

"I meant establishing a high school career" Tina corrected as Mike put his arm around her

"That sounds scary" Artie said pushing his glasses up and taking a bite of his slice of pizza, after he swallowed he said "but what does that entail, Miss Cohen-Chang?" Artie put his hand under his chin and mockingly gave her his undivided attention.

"It means, smart-ass, making the most of all the facilities McKinley has to offer and utilising them to benefit us"

"I love it when you talk like that" Mike said but Tina just gave him a very amused face and patted him on the head.

"It also means that we only have a few years left here and I want be able to look back on my high school experience and not remember bad lunchroom food and condescension" Tina explained giving a frosty look to her bespectacled friend.

"Err…Santana I am so glad to see you" Artie quickly said as the girl plopped down in the seat across from him hopefully she'd distract Tina from unleashing her wrath on him.

"I hate how this school seems like a small nation" Santana said "I had to wait in that line forever" she continued while feasting on some grapes "What's with him?"

Sam had been spaced out for most of the lunch period, things had been going so well with Mercedes earlier. The girl even laughed at his jokes, so he knew she was someone who was on his wavelength. Then she was whisked away by Quinn Fabray. Sam didn't have anything personal against the blonde cheerleader in fact they had run in the same circle last year and they still attended the same church on Sundays. But the stupid ideals at this school had skewed everyone's views of what was standard.

"Ow!" Sam was brought out of his memories by _a grape, _he thought as he picked it up from its place on his lunch tray. "Who and why?"

"We could ask you the same question" Mike said and Tina nodded next to him.

"I was just thinking about how…I would look in a leather jacket" he finally answered looking around. His friends didn't buy it so he continued "I mean they look cool right and that guy is always wearing them around school…um that guy, the Mohawk guy…"

"Noah Puckerman" Artie corrected "The school bad-ass"

"You mean the school weirdo" Tina clarified "You know I heard he once swallowed a baby turtle"

"It was a thumbtack and it was only because Azimio dared him to" Mike said and they all looked at him" It was like some football initiation thing he did when were all on the team"

"Still, who'd do that" Santana was clearly disgusted.

"He's not a bad guy actually, I have to tutor him for Geometry this year and…" Artie said but Sam stopped listening and shoveled some food into his mouth, glad that his weak answer about his dream to possess a leather jacket worked.

"See that's what I meant, Artie tutors people and he's in the AV club, Sam's on the swim team and takes pictures for the school paper" Tina motioned to her boyfriend "Mike's throws footballs, he dances and Santana cheerlead-"

"In a past life" Santana stated looking down, then she focused on her flustered friend "Tina, will you calm down we'll find something, plus don't you write articles for the same paper that Sam takes pictures for"

"Sorry, you guys" Tina apologised sheepishly "It's just that I want to get into good college and these things are important"

"You know what else important:oxygen, now take a breath" Mike said rubbing Tina's back and Tina smiled at him.

The rest of lunch passed by and Sam eventually left his mind and joined the conversation.

"Hey Tina! Tina!"

"Mercedes, hey what's up?"

_Hold up_ Sam thought _how does Mercedes know Tina and how does Tina know Mercedes and why did everyone at his school know Mercedes_.

Mercedes strolled up to the table and began to search through her bag for something. She pulled out an Anatomy textbook and handed it to the girl.

"Thanks for letting me borrow it I still need to get science books" she said rolling her eyes "Oh hi, Sam"

"H-hey, how's your first day going?"

"Great, actually" she answered him "I really wish we could have talked more after homeroom but I hadn't seen Quinn since last year and I really missed her."

Santana mouthed a confused 'Quinn' to Mike who just shook his head.

"Anyway if you want to meet up after school or something that would be cool" Mercedes said "Sam said he wanted to introduce me to all of you"

Sam was just about to speak up but he was really quite shocked. She was asking to hang out with him people never did that, well not anymore. However, then he remembered that he did ask her this morning if he could introduce her to his friends. The former New Yorker was just probably being polite.

Tina beat him out to speak "Sure that sounds great, we could get you books for your science classes and you could come over to Santana's tonight" Tina said "We could use another head for our brainstorm"

"OK see you guys later"


	4. Chapter 4

"Santana!" Tina whisper-shouted "Santana, I know you can hear me!"

Tina had been trying to get her attention since lunch ended and their last period began, but to no avail. Even now as class had just ended and students were being dismissed Santana just weaved around them heading towards the door to avoid Tina.

"Santana, don't make me jump on your back because you know I will" Tina threatened, cornering the taller girl at her locker "Why won't you talk to me?"

Santana busied herself by ignoring Tina and pulling out some homework.

_Ugh homework _Santana thought _homework on the first day back after vacation, this really is the best start._

"Remind me to smack Sam, later" she mumbled to herself

"What?" Tina asked

"Nothing" Santana said "I'm sorry I avoided you…it's just that why did you have to invite new girl over tonight?"

"What? Mercedes" Tina asked and Santana nodded "Is this because she mentioned that she and Quinn are friends?" Santana just looked away

"Oh right" Tina said a little saddened at her oversight "I'm sorry I should have realised that you coming back after everything would be hard…" trailing off Tina decided to go in a different direction "You know maybe if you gave her a chance she might surprise you"

Santana just rolled her eyes.

"I mean it, really, it's not like people are begging to hang out with us and Mercedes wants to and she seemed really cool in my Anatomy class." Tina took a few steps closer to her friend and willed her to give her eye contact before speaking again "Are you really going to let those mean girls beat you?"

"Of course not" Santana argued back

"Good" Tina said shutting Santana's locker and linking arms with her "because you really can't judge Mercedes for who is friends with" they walked down the emptying hall for a few seconds but Santana had something she wanted to say.

"Yeah, because Lord knows how much crap I have to put with being your friend, Girl-Chang"

Tina just bumped her hip into Santana's as a retort "Let's just go spend some quality time with your new best friend"


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm new at this, like I only just figured out that you can put this line divider thing in here. How long are chapters supposed to be? I really appreciate the advice and I can't believe people are reading this story.**

* * *

The first day of school was officially a success, well according to Mercedes anyway. The only blip was getting lost and arriving late for her second period, which happened to include Sam the only person she knew at McKinley High. Although, that wasn't true because now she knew Quinn Fabray was also a student there.

Mercedes hadn't seen Quinn for a while yet when they reunited in the hallway they spoke like they never left each other. They met at a church youth convention about 5 or 6 years ago and had been inseparable ever since. The two girls kept in touch through Skyping and exchanging emails but now they were in the same state and going to the same high school.

But Mercedes also noticed how other people had different reactions to the blonde teenager. It was almost as if they were cautious, but she could have just been looking into things to hard. Quinn was always nice and polite to her and she had a very vulnerable side to her which was why they got along so well.

At lunch she was introduced to the cheerleader's quarterback boyfriend, Finn Hudson. A tall almost giant of a boy but he was surprisingly cheerful considering that it was the first day back. She assumed that she had been welcomed into the popular crowd with the way people were looking with reverence at her for the rest of the day. However, Mercedes didn't care for anything about that she had always been told that you had to work hard for what you got.

The kids in the popular crowd were inorganic to her however, while she sat at the table she felt out of place. Mercedes just put it down to being in a new environment with a slower pace, New York was so fast and bright. She _had_ to get used to the adjustment, according to her father. What she could not get used to however was Quinn's friend and co-captain, Julie, giving her the stink eye from across the table.

"Spacey girl wake up"

"Huh?" Mercedes left her thoughts looking around from her current place on Santana's bedroom floor to find the Tina staring at her while Santana was looking at her American Government notes.

"What were thinking about?"

"Oh, nothing just been a long day, that's all"

"Maybe we should take a break, especially now that you've acquainted yourself self with those lovely science books" Tina said, but Mercedes just shot the pile of textbooks a dirty look.

"Yes, break time!" Santana rejoiced with her hands in the air "I need some sustenance, be right back"

"So is everyone else coming over or is it just us?"

"Well, Sam has to work, I think Artie has a doctor's appointment and Mike is having tea with his grandmother"

"Aww that's cute"

"For sure" the Latina said entertaining the room "Boy-Chang is the sweetest" she said tossing a bag of chips to Tina and them sending one Mercedes' way.

"Thanks"

"No problem" she said jumping back on her bed "So why did you bring all that kindling to my house?" Santana asked pointing to all the textbooks Mercedes had next to her.

"I was enrolled in a tonne of AP science classes"

"Why?" Tina asked spinning in the desk chair

"Dentist dad" Mercedes sighed pointing to her head but didn't continue, she didn't want to place her problems on people she just met.

"Really?" Santana said "My dad's a doctor, my health plan is killer" she continued, bringing her knees up to her chest and raising her eyebrows.

"So what's it like here?" Mercedes asked laughing.

"Hmmm let's see" Tina scratched her head in deep thought "It's really loud, don't come over on laundry day if you want to die of asphyxiation and never be around when she's hungry or you'll lose an ey-" Tina was cut off by a pillow to the face.

"Shut up, you idiot" Santana laughed from her place on the bed "She meant at McKinley"

"I know" Tina said chuckling "However, she must be aware of all pitfalls"

"Whatever" Santana looked done with Tina for the moment and addressed Mercedes for the first time that evening. Mercedes didn't think Santana hated her, but she had that same cautious look that Mercedes seen the students give Quinn and her friends. She hadn't received that look yet and she wasn't big fan.

"It's not all that bad" Santana told her "if you have the right people around you" she looked very serious but she was smiling.


	6. Chapter 6

Mercedes' first month of school flew by and she finally felt at peace in Ohio. She liked her classes, she liked that she could spend more time with her family and she appreciated that she reunited with Quinn.

She even hung around with Sam and his friends more, but whenever she asked if she could invite Quinn they wouldn't act as comfortable as they did a few seconds earlier. One day after lunch, when she escaped from the popular table and Julie Mason's death stare she asked Sam about it.

"I was wondering when this particular topic would rear its ugly head" Sam said scratching the back of his head as they walked side by side out of the cafeteria.

"It's just that when we were hanging out at Tina's, trying to help her 'utilise' or whatever "she lifted her hands to make air quotes causing Sam to laugh "and I mentioned asking Quinn and Santana just got this look on her face. Did something happen?"

Mercedes stared at Sam, waiting for him to answer. His eyes were trained on the ground and he looked deep in thought. "They use to be friends, we all did, well not Artie and Mike only met Tina when he stopped hanging around with Finn and the others"

"What happened?"

Sam stayed silent for a minute as the hall began to empty but before he could answer the last warning bell rang signalling that they would be late for class.

"Look, we gotta go or we'll both be late for class" Sam said walking away backwards "but I'll call you later OK?"

* * *

It had been a couple of days since that conversation and Mercedes thought she probably crossed some kind of boundary. She didn't think what happened could have been so bad, but things never appeared as they seemed. Mercedes definitely detected some drama and Quinn had nothing to say when she asked her about it.

"Just leave it alone, Mercedes" Quinn told her friend but she looked guilty.

_Yep_ Mercedes uttered in her mind _drama._

Drama that was reminding her of where she was before coming to Lima. Although, that drama was produced from a lesson plan by her teachers. She was starting to get homesick and slightly annoyed that no one would tell her anything.

She missed New York a lot and the friends she left behind, attending her old school required super human stamina and a flawless work ethic but they made it worthwhile. And thinking about them, right now while trying to finish her history paper was depressing.

"Someone please be online" she mumbled to herself minimizing the Word document attempting to look for someone to converse with "Yes!" she celebrated at the little green circle which indicated that the user was available to video chat.

"Hey, Kurt"

"Oh my gosh, look who has decided to grace my computer screen with her presence"

"Ha ha" she deadpanned "It's only been a month, Hummel"

"Yes, the longest month of my life" he told her throwing his head back, _dramatically _Mercedes mused "Do you know how lonely I've been?"

"Lonely? What about Rachel?"

"Please, I only learned to tolerate her because of you"

Mercedes laughed at Kurt's confessional outburst and listened as he began to tell her about how demanding his classes were.

"Screenwriting sounds cool, I wish I had the chance to sign up for that song writing group"

"It's OK, I'm stuck in the fashion department most nights" he told her "The best part is that-"

"Kurt!" a shrill voice beckoned and then the door burst open "Can you believe it! I've been put on performance probation. Me" Rachel flopped herself on the bed in the corner of the room

"Yes? That's fine Rachel come in, thank you for knocking" Kurt muttered to himself before twisting in his chair to look at his irritated friend. Mercedes just laughed.

"What happened?"

"Only that lunatic Cassandra July told Ms Tibideaux that I was 'discourteous and uncooperative'" she recounted, using finger quotes, a look of disbelieve contorting her face and her brown hair was flying as if to punctuate her argument "I should be inclined to inform Carmen of Miss July's alcoholic activities during school hours" she finished in a huff and threw herself back on the bed.

Kurt just shook his head looking amused, he turned back to the screen "Do you see what you left me here with, Mercedes, this" he said pointing in Rachel's direction "is why you don't leave, I'm about to kill her and you wouldn't like that, now would you?"

Mercedes couldn't hold her laughter in anymore, she was pretty sure her parents could hear her downstairs but she didn't care. "Hey Rachel, look who came to say hi"

Rachel sprang up from her position wallowing in the bed to run over to Kurt's desk "Mercedes, please come back, we miss you so much!"

"I miss you guys, too. How are Brittany and Sugar?"

"Well, Sugar is Sugar and Britt is in a showcase she comes back in a few weeks"

"Oh that sounds great, maybe I can-" Mercedes was cut off by a loud ringing "Hold on guys"

"Hello"

"Mercedes?" a familiar voice said into the phone

"Hey, Santana. What's up?"

"We need to talk"


	7. Chapter 7

Sam made a promise. He promised his friends that he would be there for them always. Which was why he couldn't call Mercedes right away. He wanted to, he really did. He didn't know why but when they hung out he felt that he could trust her.

Despite that though he couldn't just divulge someone's personal feelings and trials, that didn't sit right with him at all. So for days he'd been stuck in a predicament.

"You look like someone shot you're dog, Evans?"

Sam looked up from staring down thought it was a copy of the Great Gatsby, he couldn't remember. English homework and his problems really didn't go together. Santana was staring down at him with the usual take no prisoners look on her face.

"I'm fine, listen I need to –"

Santana stopped him before he could speak and sat down across from him at the picnic table.

"Abuela made a house call over the weekend"

Sam's jaw slackened. Santana and her grandmother weren't on speaking terms since last year when she came out to her, the woman practically threw her out of her house. "Wow"

"Yeah…she said she was sorry well in her own way. She isn't a very delicate women when it comes to speaking or apologies but it's like old times again" Santana told him with a smile playing on her lips

"That's great, I'm so happy for you" Sam said, he was genuinely happy for his friend

"I guess you were right, Sam" she said but she wasn't paying attention to him she was looking around the park, he was about to ask what she was looking for but when Mercedes plopped down next to him he got the answer he was looking for.

"Hi Sam" she said perkily, she had a sneaky glint in her eye though.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here because Santana needed a favour" she said lifting a miniature amplifier which was connected to a microphone by a long curly wire and placed them on the table. Santana took the microphone and stood up on the table.

"Santana what are you about to do?"

The only thing he got from his question was Mercedes nudging him with her shoulder and turning up the volume on the amp. Santana put the microphone to her lips and spoke.

"My name is Santana and I do the nasty with girls!"

Sam's jaw dropped as people heads whipped around to locate where this untimely outburst had come from. He turned to Mercedes who was looking up very pleased at Santana.

"Was this her bright idea or yours?" Sam asked

"This one was all, Lopez" she gave him a quick rundown of what happened when Santana called her "You're a really good friend, Sam"

"Nah, it was all her" he said pointing at his friend who was currently dancing on the table "She's a lot stronger that she thinks, I'm just glad her grandmother came around"

"Yeah, she said that their conversation brought them closer together" she said turning to face him "told her to hold her head up high and all that"

"Hey, you kids better get out of here before I call the police!" a stocky man called out to them. Santana just gave him a very unfriendly finger as a riposte. The guy pulled out his phone and the three teenagers grabbed their stuff as quickly as they could and high-tailed it out of there.

They ran as fast as they could to make it out of the park before they could hear signs of police sirens or see flashing lights. They eventually made it into town and were catching their breath outside the local Lima Bean.

"Don't…e-ever…do that…again" Sam struggled to say, trying to regain his breath.

"Are you kidding?" Mercedes asked she was laughing but her breaths were quick "that was awesome"

Sam was shaking his head at the shorter girl but his smile betrayed whatever stern look his face was trying to portray. Santana handed the equipment back to Mercedes and excused herself.

"Really?"

"Yep, I'm making up for lost time" She told them before walking away.

So now Sam and Mercedes were standing together outside.


	8. Chapter 8

"I could use a coffee. You?" Sam asked

"Yes, please"

They entered the small cafe and collected their hot drinks quickly, but Mercedes had to go because she wanted a doughnut. The two teenagers secured a booth near the front window and sat down.

"I can't believe you haven't been here yet" Sam said incredulously

"Well it's not like I've had the time" She began to list things off her fingers "between moving in, all the homework they shove at us, oh and most recently running from the law" Sam laughed but shook his head

"I meant that because this is an establishment which sells coffee and you use to live in New York"

At the mention of New York Mercedes had a wistful look on her face "Well I'm not that addicted to coffee" she tore off a piece of pastry and deposited it in her mouth "but my friend Rachel can't live without it, she drinks like five cups a day"

"Wow, she must be really hyper"

"The word we like to use is passionate" she said raising an eyebrow.

"Can I ask you something?" Sam inquired and Mercedes nodded "What Santana say about Quinn's part in last year?"

Mercedes let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding, but this topic had to come up eventually.

"She said…she said that Quinn broke her trust and told her secret"

Sam nodded and scratched his forehead.

"It was really weird when I asked Quinn about it because she looked so…" she didn't finish she sentence and trailed off.

"So what?"

"Guilty, Sam" Mercedes finished "I've been here for a month now, and I know how people talk about Quinn and her friends, like they're this be all end all, but I've known Quinn since I was 10 years old and the way she is at school isn't her"

Sam swallowed the coffee that was swirling around in his mouth. He wasn't the type of person to hold a grudge, he figured if people just moved on and forgave each other then life would be easier. Santana thought that was ridiculous, since she'd seen him be aggressive about things like this.

"I also know how people talk about you and your friends, they're my friends too now, and it kind of makes me want to smack them" she laughed dryly.

"You're popular, Mercedes" Sam said rolling his eyes "Why risk that?"

Mercedes looked up at Sam and she looked the most serious he'd ever seen her "Because things like that aren't important, Sam, I'd rather live my life for me and the people I care about than care about what anyone else thinks"

Sam felt himself smiling and Mercedes returned a wider one, but she broke his stare and began pulling on her braids, twisting one around her finger. "So what were you doing at the park so early?"

"Reading assignment" he opened his backpack which was resting on the seat next to him and pulled out the copy of The Great Gatsby and chucked it on the table with considerable disgust.

"How dare you, I love this book" she snatched it from its place on the table and thumbed through it.

"Well I have to finish chapter five and do some analysis, or you could do it and I'll watch" He tested her with a smirk.

"Or you could get your butt over here" she patted the seat next to her "and I'll help. While you do your homework like a good little boy"

"Fine" he dragged himself out the seat and dropped next to Mercedes.

Mercedes helped Sam get through the analysis of themes in the book, and she learned a few things to, like his least favourite subject was English and that he preferred to read comic books to novels. The most recent thing she picked up was that he liked to share.

"You're supposed to be making notes, not stealing my food"

"I'm doing both" he said stuffing a piece of pastry into his mouth which was surrounded by powder.

"You look ridiculous" she laughed "You have an icing sugar beard"

"I can just rock the Odin beard" he looked up from his notebook "I've always wanted to go to Asgard" he pretended to look off into the distance in wanderlust.

He caught himself in embarrassment, sure he was more comfortable with himself but he practically just met Mercedes, but it melted away when he heard her let out quite a loud laugh, some people even turned their way. She quickly covered her mouth but she was still shaking.

"Just wipe that that off your face, fool" but even as she said it she picked up a napkin and did it for him. Feeling her finger tips on him sent small flashes of warmth across his face, he cast he eyes toward her face, and she was just focused on the task of removing his faux beard. When she eventually got rid of it her eyes flickered to his, the atmosphere slowing down around them.

"I knew I heard you here, Mercedes" a voice said from behind them causing them to pull away from one another.

"Hey, Quinn" Mercedes greeted her friend, the tall girl was holding her own drink and took a sip "What're you guys up to?" she regarded Sam, but he could never read her face.

"Just doing some homework, and yourself?"

"I'm with the squad" she gestured behind her "Taking a break after practice"

"Well isn't this quaint" another cheerleader joined Quinn draping an arm around her shoulder "this is like old times, isn't it Sam?"

Sam clenched his jaw. During his short stint of popularity Sam didn't get the chance to really interact with Julie but something about her made him feel uncomfortable. "Unfortunately" he mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?" she asked

"Nothing" Mercedes said trying to diffuse the situation "and if you don't mind we were trying to finish some work" Mercedes didn't say it to be cruel ,they really were in the middle of working but she already knew that Julie wasn't her biggest fan and she could tell Sam didn't like her.

"That's OK" Quinn replied picking up from were Mercedes left off "we should get back" she pulled the other girl along stiffly and sent a message of apology to Mercedes with a swift glance.

"So English, get back to work, Thor" Mercedes picked up the pen and jabbed his side.

"I was so close to getting out of this" he whined, he even had a pout on his face but the smile was threatening to break out.


	9. Chapter 9

"I am so over this" Santana said to her textbook, school was definitely losing its appeal "why are we in here again?"

Mercedes, Santana and Tina were sat inside the library, on the ground floor so they could talk instead of whisper and so Artie could meet up with them later and not take the access elevator to the upper level.

"Because it's nearly Halloween" Tina said

Santana made a puzzled face and looked at Mercedes for help, the dark-skinned girl just shrugged "She was your friend first, I'm not fluent in Tina yet"

Santana snickered at the comment but Tina just went on "I meant that it's been almost two months and the only thing I've done is join the track team"

"Tina, you were gonna need to improve your stamina anyway" Santana patted her friend on the leg "From what I hear ,you and Mike are-" she was cut off by Mercedes hand covering her mouth. Tina pushed herself up from her seat and dragged one of the many large wheel able dry-erase boards littered around the large room.

"We need to expand our horizons, I wanted to do something with you guys and I am not joining the debate team with Snixx over there" she said pointing at her friend.

"Hey, we're undefeated" Santana's acid-tongue gave her a clear advantage.

Mercedes snorted but threw a marker Tina's way. Tina started listing clubs that still had had spaces and Santana pretended to listen but she was obviously playing Temple Run on her phone. Mercedes excused herself, to get a drink. On her way back from the vending machine she didn't catch sight of someone putting up some posters on the notice board.

"Sorry" she said gathering a few of the posters the other student dropped.

"It's OK" she said tucking her hair behind her ears, when she noticed Mercedes on the floor collecting the posters she stopped her "oh you don't have to do that"

"No, it was my fault" standing up, she finally looked down at the posters and her eyes widened. "You need performers?" Mercedes asked

"Oh yeah, for the big Halloween Bash" the girl said "we still have the DJ, but the band we hired dropped out at the last minute"

"That's great" Mercedes said not really thinking, getting the chance to maybe sing again was messing with her filter "I- that's awful" she was smiling as she said it though. The girl she knocked over gave her a strange look, but seemed to translate the word vomit to excitement.

"Are you thinking of performing?"

"I'd love to but-" Mercedes cut herself of and remembered Tina standing in front of the giant board "Could you wait for one second?"

She speed walked back to her friends and slammed a poster that she snagged down on the table.

* * *

"Is this how we greet each other now" Artie asked "Or did I miss something?" Mercedes rolled her eyes at Artie and tried to regain Santana and Tina's attention.

"You said you wanted to broaden your horizons or whatever, we could perform at this dance"

Tina rolled her eyes "No"

"What? Why not?"

"Not to be all negative but it's not exactly like we're well liked around here"

Tina was right about that statement. It was only yesterday when she was walking down the hall with the girl, they didn't make it five steps to the door of their science class that morning, before some jock through an ice cold slushy in Tina's face. After the initial shock wore off, Tina wiped her face removing the offending yellow slush, shook herself off and entered the room before she was late for the period. Mercedes felt awful, realising that the girl had to spend the whole hour in a wet top.

She sighed and tried again "I really think you should give it a chance, I love to sing and at my old high school I was able to do it almost every day" she continued after taking a breath "I know you guys can sing the pants of anyone anyway"

Artie threw his hand up "Y'all know she's right" Mercedes was surprised when she heard them singing one day when she grabbed a ride to school with them. The radio was tuned into a station and the two girls belted out the lyrics to a random pop song.

Santana, who had been abnormally quiet since Mercedes return finally piped up "I'm in"

"Really?" Both girls said.

"Yeah, it's about time I got back out there" she said "show 'em they can't beat me and Tina if you're worried about that crap, it doesn't matter because everyone loves Mercedes" Santana walked over to said girl and put an arm around her shoulders "we'll be cool by association"

This was true. Since her arrival at the school Mercedes was quite the hot commodity due to her friendship with Quinn.

"Come on, Tina" Santana latched onto her arm "you'll regret not talking a chance to be in a hot girl group with two undisputed top b#tches"

Tina grunted "OK fine. But I'm picking the songs"

Mercedes held her palm out and Santana high fived it.


	10. Chapter 10

"Sorry about my Mom" Quinn apologised as she stood at the kitchen sink "she will talk the ears off anybody if they let them"

"No, its fine, she's really nice" Mercedes said, she was leaning against the counter top keeping Quinn company after dinner since it was the blonde's duty to clear the table. The Fabray's had invited Mercedes and her parents over for the evening and the adults were still taking in the living room.

"Do you think we should tell it's getting late?"

"And spoil all their fun?" Mercedes argued "the kids need to let their hair down every so often"

Quinn laughed, rinsing of the last dish and setting in the drainer. She wiped her hands on a towel "You're parents are so refreshing" she started "cultured I'm stuck here being stifled"

What most students didn't see was that certain environments could change a person's behaviour, especially Quinn's. She wasn't perpetually in a state of super happy sometimes icy cheerleader.

"Quinn, you know you can do whatever you want, right?" Mercedes said "and I'm not just talking about that position as head cheerleader"

Quinn walked over to the small table that was in the kitchen and sat at it "Co-captain" she corrected "and when are you going to take your own advice?" a grin planted proudly on her face.

At dinner Mercedes' father had gone on and on about his two children, how proud he was of them. Her brother was in his second year of college, studying to become a doctor. He said it wouldn't be long before Mercedes followed in his footsteps carrying on some kind of legacy of established professionals.

It didn't matter that his daughter had attended a performing arts school for two years, it was just a phase to him. She couldn't waste he brain power at that school. She was destined for a more stable lifestyle. That singing wasn't going to provide. He didn't deny Mercedes' talent but he couldn't have her not living up to her potential.

Mercedes just raised her eyebrows and deflected "When are you going to tell me about you and Santana?"

"What did she tell you?" Quinn asked

"She told me that guys were best friends and you told her secret to the whole school" Mercedes said carefully.

Quinn didn't say anything for a few minutes, she could only hear the ticking of the clock ringing in her ears.

"That's not the whole story"

"Do you know how messed up that is?" Mercedes leaned in closer, making her voice quieter "What is the whole story, Quinn"

"I can't…I can't tell you"

Mercedes was about to tell her she was going to leave because she really couldn't understand why someone would do that to their own friend. But the look on the blonde's face stopped her. Maybe Quinn was telling the truth and there was more to the story. But she would only tell her when she was ready. Mercedes released a breath and changed the subject.

"Are you going to the dance on Saturday?"

Quinn looked relieved, which saddened Mercedes a little but she confirmed her attendance.

"Actually, it is essential that we attend" Mercedes replied when Quinn asked her if she was going, she remembered she would be singing with Tina and Santana so Mercedes felt somewhat lighter.

"'We' who?"

Before Mercedes could answer she was being called by her parents.


	11. Chapter 11

"Thanks for picking me up" Mercedes said after Sam helped her into the truck.

"You're welcome!" a voice in the back replied.

Mercedes turned her head to find Sam's two younger siblings sitting in the backseat. She smiled "Oh, hello"

"Hi" they both said.

"I had to drop them off at school today" Sam explained when he started to drive away from her house. He turned his head to tell them to introduce themselves to Mercedes and then she did the same.

"Artie told me you guys are performing tonight at the dance"

"Yeah. I'm actually really excited"

When Sam glanced her way, he could only describe the look on Mercedes' face as giddy.

"I can totally tell by that crazy smile on your face" he teased.

"Shut up!" she laughed.

"I really like your hair, Mercedes" Stacy announced

Mercedes turned to address the younger girl "Thank you, Stacy"

"Sammy use to let me braid his hair all the time when it was longer"

"Really?" Mercedes' eyebrow quirked and she looked at Sam, whose cheeks had taken a shade of red. Stacy nodded, her face animated. The car came to an abrupt stop and the passengers jerked in their seats.

"Oh look the schoolhouse" Sam pointed out, he was already out the door trying to help the kids out of the back. They were a bit confused by his flustered behavior but just brushed it off and ran towards the building.

"How long was your hair, _Sammy_" Mercedes asked when he got back in the car.

Sam rolled his eyes and laughed "I looked awesome"

* * *

Mercedes prided herself on being fully prepared for important events and she was baffled that something so obvious could have slipped her mind. After shopping together for dresses that they could modify into something scary after school, the three girls got ready and as night fell made their way to the high school for the dance.

"What do you mean we can't perform?" Santana yelled

"I said you couldn't perform without a name" the stage hand informed them "how do you expect us to introduce you to the savages" he motioned a dark skinny arm to their classmates, who were dancing to the music supplied by the DJ.

The girls dragged Santana away before she could slap the boy.

"I knew we shouldn't have spent all that time on the costumes" Tina played with the hem of her dress.

"Wow, you girls look like a prom nightmare" Mike described as he rolled Artie towards them.

"How'd you guys get back here?" Tina asked him.

"Artie, here" he explained "is like a VIP pass, all these guys listen to him" Artie just brushed off his shoulders for effect "What's going on?"

"We need to think of a stage name in like 10 minutes or we can't perform" Mercedes told them

The minutes ticked down quickly to their slot and they still hadn't thought of a descriptor for their trio. The boys weren't being very helpful either.

"Mercedes and the Pips" Artie delivered.

"If you open your mouth again, Artie, that sentence will be the last pip you'll ever peep again" Tina threatened

The brown-haired teen pulled Mercedes closer to him, as a shield and cowered behind her. Mercedes couldn't believe it, her one and only chance to sing could be killed in a matter of seconds. She had grown to like life at McKinley but this was something she was honestly excited about. Now all she'd remember was a backstage mess where Tina was going murder Artie, Mike looked too scared to do anything about it, Sam was nowhere to be seen and Santana was arguing with the stage guy.

_Wait, how did she get away?_ Mercedes thought as she approached.

He was trying to ignore her playing with some equipment "Stop causing trouble"

"I'll show you _trouble _if you keep ignoring me, string bean" she pointed a finger in his chest hard enough that his headset fell around his neck.

"Don't use that tone with me" he righted his headset and faced her

"I'll use whatever _tone_ I want, you know I should slice your balls of-" the angry girl was gesturing to her hair and Mercedes stepped in before blood could be shed.

"The Troubletones!" she said loudly enough to stop their fight "We're called the Troubletones"

* * *

"Just take the picture, you hick"

Sam was on duty tonight, taking pictures of his classmates at the Halloween dance. The first of many school social events this year,_ God just kill me now_ he silently prayed. During the night he mostly snapped random pictures of students in costumes who were not aware of his presence. He liked the look of that more. The subjects looked more interesting. Real.

But then some jocks took notice of the camera flashes and just had to get theirs done and they weren't nice about it either, not like he was expecting they would be. All squished together, the boys dressed in their football uniforms, shouting insults at Sam. _Hick, that must have killed some brain cells, real clever._ When he was first arrived, yes, his accent was a little thick, now it only showed up here and there. But no one cared because he was a star football player. Now that he wasn't they could use it against him.

He didn't care though he would always be proud of it.

When he was done, all the thanks he received was an 'accidental' shove from Jack Peters and then he was free.

Sam went on to continue his work quietly when suddenly the lights went down and the DJ stopped spinning. The entertainment were introduced and then he recognised them as his friends. They all looked the part, with torn dresses and spooky make up.

The music started and an eerie guitar chord filled the room and Tina began to sing.

_"She told me not to step on the cracks, I told her not to fuss and relax, well, her pretty little face stopped me in my tracks, but now she sleeps with one eye open that's the price she paid…"_

The gym became still and Sam looked around to gauge people reactions as the other girls joined in. Santana stepped forward and ran her hand up on her skirt of her dress on the third verse, winking and shook her finger towards the crowd. The music picked up as the girls sang together

They swayed as they sung, changing positions effortlessly and then Mercedes stood centre taking the last part. Sam watched in amazement as the lyrics flowed from her mouth, the girl was hitting some really high notes like it was nothing. Her voice was the best thing he ever heard.

Before he could applaud at the ending of the song (or stop himself from applauding, because that would be weird) another one began and it was harder than the other one, drums hitting his ears. Mercedes took lead on this one to start.

_"There's a drumming noise inside my head that starts when you're around, I swear that you could hear it, it makes such an all mighty sound…"_

The teenagers began to dance in time with the drum beat the girls did also, they grabbed the side of their heads and rolled their necks like they were living the song. Their voices were like energy fueling the dancers, they were jumping and raising up their arms. Sam really wanted to take pictures of the fluid movements they were producing but he was mesmerised by Mercedes Jones' voice.

"They're great aren't they?" Mike stepped up to him with some punch in his hand.

"She's amazing" Sam picked up his camera and took a picture.


	12. Chapter 12

"Guess who I am"

Sam and Mercedes were on their way home from the dance. Two thirds of the Troubletones, Mike and Artie headed to Breadstix after it ended still on high from their performance. They invited them both but the two of them both had church the next day and had to decline.

Driving back in his rusty truck, talking and laughing about the night. The topic of conversation had mostly stayed on costumes. Sam, now, asking if she could guess his.

Mercedes looked pensive as she appraised him, he was basically dressed for school "You're not wearing a costume, unless…let's see glasses, the camera around your neck earlier, you were Peter Parker weren't you?"

"Yes, I was"

"That is so lazy, Sam" Mercedes threw her head back laughing.

"What? I had to take pictures for the Muckraker and I already wear glasses" he explained as he stopped the car at a red light "But I am very impressed you guessed correctly"

"I am all kinds of impressive, Samuel"

He knew she was joking around but that statement couldn't be any truer after he heard her sing.

"You were amazing on that stage, Mercedes" he glanced beside him as the light turned and he drove ahead, she was staring out the window but looked at him when he decided to speak.

"Thank you, but there were also two other people on that stage, so how about you tell me again how great _we _were"

"I wish I could, but I could only focus on you" Sam blushed when he noticed Mercedes ducking her head, so he tried to steer the conversation a different way "your old school must have been some kinda superstar boot camp, right?"

"I wouldn't call it a boot camp, but, I attended a school for the performance arts before we moved here"

"Did you spend most of your time singing?"

"Mostly" she scratched her arm and stretched "but we were encouraged to explore other areas to, I even did some acting and dance"

"Sounds cool" he took a left and headed straight to Mercedes house "When can I buy your album?" he chuckled a little but Mercedes was silent.

"Probably never" she finally said when the vehicle came to a stop at her house "Thanks for dropping me off" then she hopped out of the truck.

* * *

Mercedes was wrong. She thought that performing at that stupid dance would be fun, well it was fun for everyone else and did enjoy herself while on stage but after it was over she was just reminded what her father said before they got to Lima _'it's not a legitimate career path, Mercedes'_. She knew her father loved her and thought he was doing the best for her but she wished he would listen. She thought about this more as her scarf tighter around her neck, the cold December air whipping around her legs.

She didn't think practicing with the girls every week since would make her feel so guilty, but it did. _Was it so wrong that she wanted to do something she loved?_ She thought as she walked into her first class of the day. Her father pulled out teeth for a living and she still loved him.

"Mercedes!"

"What?"

"I said can I have that extra napkin?" Quinn asked.

"Oh" Mercedes handed the napkin to her friend sheepishly "sorry" had she been that much in her own world that it was already midday.

"Where were you?"

"Probably thinking about what songs to sing in that lame ass girl group" Julie said.

Both Quinn and Mercedes rolled their eyes at the co-captain of the cheer squad, but her boyfriend laughed obnoxiously and put his arm around her.

"Shut up, Peters" Finn said "you're giving everyone a headache"

Mercedes in her head at Finn in thanks and then got quiet again. She liked sitting with Quinn but the whole cohort was too much to take most days, sometimes she sat with Sam and the others but usually she was here. They looked like they were having fun, her eyes darted across the crowded lunchroom over to them. Mike was leaning back, mouth open while Artie was throwing some rounded snack food into it. It bounced off his forehead and hit Tina, who previously seemed to be helping Sam with something, they were hunched over the table.

Before Mercedes could see Tina could kill Artie, someone tapped her on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, beautiful" the boy said when she turned to face him "but by any chance are you Quinn Fabray?"

It was Noah Puckerman. She'd only seen him around the school a few times. He was kind of solitary. The boy usually just hung around the bleachers sometimes smoking a cigarette.

"I'm Quinn" the blonde said before Mercedes could correct him "What do you want?"

He rolled his eyes "Artie's bailing on me, going on some class trip" he explained "and apparently you're the only other free tutor on the roster" he handed a piece paper to her.

Quinn studied the paper and handed it back to him roughly "Fine, but don't come late"

The mohawked teen actually bowed and said "Wouldn't dream of it, princess"

Some of the jocks looked irritated, but most of them look confused. Mercedes looked Finn's way, but he wasn't even listening to the conversation between Puckerman and his girlfriend. In fact, it seemed like he couldn't care less.


End file.
